Stock Market & Financial Investment News

SAIC-GM-Wuling to build third manufacturing base in ChongqingSAIC-GM-Wuling announced that it will build a third manufacturing base in Chongqing Municipality to keep pace with the rising demand for its vehicles. The joint venture between GM China, SAIC and Wuling Motors will begin construction of its new facility early next year, pending relevant government approvals. The RMB 6.6B first phase is scheduled to open in 2015. The facility will have an annual production capacity of 400,000 vehicles and engines. It will adopt GM’s global manufacturing processes and standards. SGMW will discuss which models will be built closer to the start of production.

GM February U.S. sales rise 4.2% to 231,378 vehicles General Motors said dealers in the United States delivered 231,378 vehicles last month. Total sales were up 4.2% compared to a year ago. Retail sales were up 1%. Commercial and fleet deliveries were up 12%. GM estimates that the seasonally adjusted annual selling rate for light vehicles in February was 16.5M units. The automaker ended February with 732,394 units of inventory, or 76 days supply, versus 732,470 at last month's end. GM estimates the 2015 light vehicle SAAR at 16.5M-17.0M.

Five people reject GM ignition settlements, WSJ saysFive people who submitted injury claims related to General Motors' ignition recall have rejected settlement offers, reports the Wall Street Journal. The Journal speculates that the rejections "likely [pave] the way for future lawsuits." Camille Biros, one of the administers of the compensation fund, stated "it is a bit surprising as these rejections are lower-end category two claims. These amounts are clearly spelled out in the facility’s protocol and are based strictly upon the number of nights of hospitalization or out-patient treatment." Reference Link

General Motors to discontinue vehicle production at Bekasi, Indonesia plantAs part of its ongoing focus on strengthening the performance of its global operations, General Motors announced that it will transition to a national sales company in Indonesia and will discontinue vehicle production at its Bekasi manufacturing plant near Jakarta by the end of June. GM Indonesia will retain its local presence by providing customers with Chevrolet products such as the Orlando, Captiva and Trailblazer through its committed dealer network. Several factors contributed to GM’s decision, including high material costs and reduced potential to utilize the local supplier base due to limited scale.As a result of the company’s actions, approximately 500 positions will be impacted at the Bekasi plant, which is 16 km east of Jakarta. The plant, which is wholly owned by GM Indonesia, opened in 1995. It was reactivated in May 2013 after a suspension of production in 2005. The Bekasi plant currently produces the Chevrolet Spin for Indonesia and other ASEAN markets. GM also announced that GM Indonesia President Michael Dunne has decided to leave the company at the end of February to start his own business and focus on his previous domain of expertise. Dunne’s decision has been known to GM for some time. GM has identified a new executive to lead the NSC, who will be announced shortly. GM Indonesia CFO Pranav Bhatt will serve as interim president until the permanent replacement is named.

UAW chief says GM buyback proposal too much, premature, Reuters saysDennis Williams, the president of the UAW, said that an investor group’s proposal that GM buy back $8B of its stock is premature, and the amount too high for the company’s long-term health, says Reuters. The UAW indirectly controls the largest single block of General Motors shares, added Reuters. Reference Link

Ally CEO exploring subprime lending, sees loss of GM business, Detroit News saysAlly (ALLY) CEO Jeffrey Brown stated in a Thursday interview with The Detroit News that the company may return to offering credit cards and home mortgages, and currently plans to expand auto lending to subprime customers. The CEO said he expects to decide within 30-60 days whether Ally will consolidate its five locations to a single headquarters in the Detroit suburbs. Brown added that he expects GM (GM) to shift its $4.1B subsidized leasing program for Chevrolet from Ally to GM Financial, which the Ally CEO wants to offset by increasing subprime lending from 9% of total lending to 12%-15%. Reference Link

Apple pushing for 2020 production of its electric car, Bloomberg saysApple (AAPL) is pushing to begin production of its electric vehicle as soon as 2020, reports Bloomberg, citing people with knowledge of the matter. Bloomberg notes that the move could put Apple into direct competition with Tesla (TSLA) and General Motors (GM), both of which are targeting a 2017 release for next-generation electric vehicles. Apple may still cancel the project if it becomes unhappy with progress, the sources said, though its vehicle team is already 200-people strong. Reference Link

General Motors names Craig Glidden as new general counselGeneral Motors (GM) announced yesterday that Craig B. Glidden has been appointed executive VP and general counsel, effective March 1. Glidden will lead a team of staff attorneys who are integrated into all of GM’s regional and functional teams in more than 30 countries. Glidden succeeds Michael Millikin, who is retiring in July after a nearly four-decade legal career, including five years as GM’s general counsel. Before joining GM, Glidden was executive VP and chief legal officer for LyondellBasell Industries (LYB).

Car sales rose in Europe last month, NY Times saysEuropean car sales increased 6.7% in January, versus the same period a year earlier, data from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association indicates, according to The New York Times. January was the 17th straight month that European car sales have increased, but they remain well below the levels they reached before the financial crisis, the newspaper stated. Publicly traded companies in the space include Fiat Chrysler (FCAU), Fiat S.p.A. (FIATY), Ford (F), General Motors (GM), Honda (HMC), Nissan (NSANY), Toyota (TM) and Volkswagen (VLKAY). Reference Link